I personally don't put much stock in that as training camp opens. If a coach wants a good competitive camp he would be foolish to say "yeah every position is taken except for a spot or two so you 25 ohter guys don't get your hopes up."

To be sure AV has his lineup already in his mind and will only really be looking at a few spots. Sure he'll play a bit be looking at Kesler on the wing, perhaps Naslund on the RW etc. but I would be surprised if the opening night roster is much different than what people have been posting for weeks now.

But it's nice to see him setting the tone for the year right when camp opens: Effort, Responsibility and Accountability....that's what will get the guys icetime.

What's worst, the Calgary media did the same to Kiprusoff last season. Yes, the same goalie who took them to game 7 of the Cup final the season before, didn't get any better treatment than you might expect. Now, imagine what would happen if Luongo doesn't win many of the first 11 games.

Vegas_Nucks_Fan wrote:I hope to hell this isn't the case, but who is the media going to blame?

Well, Kesler of course.

On a more serious note, however, I don't think this year's edition of the 'Nucks bears anywhere near the fan and media expectations of the immediately departed "core".

Nobody, is calling these guys cup contenders. In the West those teams are Anaheim, San Jose, Calgary, Nashville and maybe, maybe, Detroit.

The expectation bar hasn't been this low for a 'Nucks squad since the Messier era.

If we miss the playoffs this season, no big deal. This was a "rebuilding year". Nobody's gonna lose their job over it - except maybe Nonis.

With three utterly wet-behind-the-ears blueliners in front of him, no matter what happens, Luongo basically gets a pass this season.

But if perchance we make the playoffs . . . it's hero-worship time baby!

I'm not worried about the pressure on Luongo one iota.

Heck, think of all the atrocious, savage, craptacular, self-immolative mockeries of parodies of indignities committed against the great sport of hockey in clutch games by the dearly departed Dan Cloutier.

Despite all those house of cards impersonations in the playoffs, it took years of determined effort for us to deservedly run that charlatan out of town.

Now, if Luongo suddenly starts letting weak shots from centre or 40 footers from Darby Hendrickson by him in playoff games, I'll concede that things could get rocky. But, rest assured, Roberto will get at least as many second (and third, and fourth and fifth . . .)chances as Dan the Man did.

Linden Is God wrote:I'll be pleased with a 6th seed playoff berth. Let's hope Luongo doesn't get a rough ride.

Hell, I'd be extatic if we made the playoffs this year...

As for Luongo, if he falters to start the season, the media will give him the benefit of the doubt. They know its a new team for him, and he has to have time to adjust. Plus they know that people won't take them seriously if they jump all over Louie after his first bad game.

If however, he isn't preforming by January, you can expect the 'Was it worth it?' Headlines in the Province and the Sun. Doubly so if Bert puts together any semblance of a season in Florida.

I for one, however, am not worried. He's been so cocky since we signed him that I can't imagine him doing anything other then suceed. He seems to put a great deal of pressure on himself, and expects a lot of himself in return. He seems like the kind of player that no matter what he will be able to focus on his game. I think he knows realistically what he can do, and what seems like arrogance us is just him showing confidence in himself. Something that no goaltender in recent Canucks history has shown. I expect a good (though not great) season from him this year.

hard to say how the nucks will look like with so many new players, but on paper I think everyone of those teams except detroit is unquestionably superior to our squad. Fortunately the game is played on ice not paper so anything could happen.

magnum44 wrote:hard to say how the nucks will look like with so many new players, but on paper I think everyone of those teams except detroit is unquestionably superior to our squad.

And just how is Calgary better? Ooooh, they got Tanguay, which gives them exactly 2 threats to score. And people worry about the Canucks scoring goals? They also conveniently forget how Calgary would'nt have made the playoffs the past two seasons if the Canucks didn't fold for them, so it must be hard to grasp that AV ain't gonna let that happen again this year.

When did Saskatoon move to Alberta? Because only an idiot from Calgary would make that contention.

One thing Vigneault might be more open to is the role players will have on the team, something Crawford was notorious for not doing, he pigeon-holed players into certain roles, and it's been complained about by Bertuzzi about May, Linden hinted at it, Cooke's complained about it...this might be players griping, but I think a number of us were frustrated that Crow would stick to a certain formula at times when other players who deserved a chance were never given a chance to earn a bigger role, that might change. Kesler and Linden are two that should get a bigger role, Bulis is going to be tried in the top six, Pyatt might get a chance to be a power forward, and Cooke might get put up on the top two lines.

Krajicek seems penciled in as the number four, but Bourdon will get a look as well, Santala and Reid are getting long looks I think and of course there's Burrows and Bouck, depending on how they perform, Cooke might be seen as expendable. Schultz is also in the works...